Coexistence of Health and Body Image Issues

Recently I mentioned that an article in a past issue of N Magazine had prompted me to not only think about the health issues involved in being overweight but had motivated me to act. I also promised to provide updates from time to time and today I will deliver with the first update. It has now been almost three weeks since I committed to trying to eat more healthfully and started attempting to become more active on a consistent basis.

The "Before" Evidence

The image I chose to illustrate this article is a side view of yours truly, taken nearly three weeks ago when I weighed 206 pounds. Easily evident is the fact that I had a generous amount of belly fat. Thus far, I have managed to lose just under 10 pounds and while it will yet be a while before I am ready to provide an "after" photograph, a similar image to this one taken today would already show a noticeable change. No, I am not now the proud owner of six-pack abs but as a look in my mirror reveals, my belly does not protrude today to the extent shown in this image.

The Value of Body Image Acceptance

As I have stated previously, the principle of body image acceptance, espoused by nudists is I think one of the most valuable and healthful perspectives we possess. Yet I have now come to embrace the idea that health and fitness issues can and should be able to peacefully coexist with the issue of body image. The potential developing some very serious health problems is great among those of us who are significantly overweight. That fact has been well documented scientifically and medically. Thus being physically unfit and significantly overweight is a great deal more than just an aesthetic issue. I have no inclination to lose weight, make healthier food choices or become more fit because I want to either achieve some unrealistic media generated body ideal or to become more attractive to others when I appear nude socially. I am motivated to do those things however to avoid the possibles of contracting diabetes, hypertension or heart disease.

The Perspectives of Others

Nudists accept ourselves and others irrespective of body type and size. This is foundational to who we are as a culture. Yet it is an inescapable fact that those outside our lifestyle do judge us as individuals and to great extent base their opinions on nudists in general by physical appearance. One of the greatest criticisms of nudists by non-nudists is that we are predominately an aged, overweight, unfit and unattractive group. An article I read, Nude Cruises Need an Image Makeover, illustrates this point.

I am not advocating the improvement of our physical appearances to pander to the opinions of others but the fact remains, if we want to change attitudes and attract more people to nudism, we are likely as a culture going to have to embrace our historical roots. There is no denying the fact that health and fitness were part and parcel of the North American nudist movement when it began. I think we can agree to live a healthy lifestyle and keep our weight in check and still remain true to our core belief in body acceptance.

No Radical Changes Necessary

For those with whom this discussion might resonate, you may be curious about exactly what it would take to drop a few pounds and to improve physical fitness. Based on my own experiences during the first few weeks, I have honestly not had to make any what I would consider radical changes to move towards a more healthful lifestyle. I am neither strarving myself or totally forgoing my favorite foods. I have not joined a fitness club. Here is a summary of what I have done.

• Started counting calories and following a 500 calorie a day deficit plan.
• Eating less high calorie fast foods.
• Switched from drinking regular beer to light beer.
• Reduced the amount of cola I consume.
• Started an exercise regimen which is predominatly simply a 30 minute walk at least five days each week.

As can be seen, I have not taken up some fad diet, haven't started hitting the gym 8 hours a day, have not given up beer which I promise I have no intention of doing or really made any drastic changes at all. The changes I have made are actually very minimal and easily accomplished. I've become a bit more educated about food so that I can avoid those things that have way too many calories in them to be healthy, have become more aware of what I put into my body and committed about 2-1/2 hours a week to exercise (less than 1-1/2 percent of the 168 hours a week we all have available). In return I have lost a few pounds, feel better and more energetic and look a little better to myself in the mirror. If achieving a healthier weight and reducing the size of my belly makes me a better ambassador for nudism then that is just icing on the proverbial cake.

The Cultural Shift in Nudism

One of the early pioneers of the American Nudist Movement, Maurice Parmelee, in his 1927 book, “Nudism in Modern Life,” advocated nudism as a means of producing a “much more beautiful mankind.” Parmelee wrote that nudists “have every incentive to avoid deformations of the body, and to strive by means of a healthy and natural life for a well developed form, because deformities and malformations are all too apparent in a state of nudity.” What Parmelee was speaking of was nudist culture as a form of social peer pressure to motivate people to strive towards the attainment of the fittest and most attractive body possible to look good when naked in the company of other nudists.

At first blush Parmelee’s concept certainly seems foreign and counter to the principle of body image acceptance embraced by modern nudists. Yet as noted in Ellen E. Woodall’s Journal of Popular Culture article, the American Nudist Movement: From Cooperative to Capital, the Song Remains the Same,” the American Association for Nude Recreation’s body image acceptance pronouncement published in 2001, represented a major shift in social nudist culture. The pronouncement read, “Nudists respect each other’s individuality. Our own self esteem is enhanced by our ability to accept ourselves as we really are. We find it easy to accept others regardless of physical size, shape, or body condition.” In other words AANR became an advocate for the acceptance of any body, regardless of health, weight, fitness or attractiveness.

Today body image acceptance and the associated benefits of improved self esteem and freedom from pressure to live up to the stereotypical, unrealistic “perfect” body types promoted by media, is one of the most highly touted advantages of becoming a part of nudism. It provides a rather welcome respite for those like me who are not physically active enough and that carry a little too much weight around the mid-section.

In the Summer 2009 issue of N, the Naturist Society publication, I read an article by David Chizm, “How to Look (and Feel) Good Naked.” To be honest, I felt a little irritated reading Chizm’s exhortation that nudists need to do a better job at achieving fitness to look better while nude because clubs full of aging, overweight and out of shape nudists likely contributed much to the difficulty of attracting younger members! My knee jerk reaction was that the whole idea flew in the face of the long standing nudist principle of body acceptance. I have since re-read the article a number of times, which is quite good I might add, and now find my opinion has changed.

Body image acceptance is a valuable and positive principle in nudism. I do not believe that anyone should be made to feel rejected or that their worth as a person is based on physical appearance. Indeed due to disabilities, diseases, disfiguring surgeries or other health reasons, many people have little power to change the appearance of their bodies regardless of how much time they might spend exercising or giving attention to healthful eating. Yet in time I did find myself in agreement with Chizum’s observation that body acceptance should not be used by people like me as an excuse for eating poorly and not exercising. He was not suggesting that anyone needed to live up to some perfect ideal but that we should merely strive to live healthier and should make the attempt to live up to our own individual physical potential. That idea is one that is pretty difficult to disagree with.

Female Problems with Body Image

Today is the first of a series of posts in which the focus will be on the principal obstacles and barriers to female participation in social nudity.

Brené Brown, Ph.D., L.M.S.W., is an educator, writer, and nationally renowned lecturer, and a member of the research faculty at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, where she recently completed a six-year study of shame and its impact on women. After interviewing over 400 women across the US for her study, she learned that more than 90% of the respondents, age 18 - 80 struggle with body image. According to Dr. Brown, body image appears to be the one issue that comes closest to being a “universal trigger” for causing feelings of shame. In fact, she observed, “body shame is so powerful and often so deeply rooted in our psyches that it actually affects why and how we feel shame in many of the other categories, including sexuality, motherhood, parenting, health, aging and a woman's ability to speak out with confidence.”

Body image is how a person thinks and feels about their body. It is the mental picture that we have of our physical bodies. Generally when we speak about body image we are talking about a general reflection of what we look like. But often women who struggle with body image do so as a result of specific body parts that come together to create this image. Women most often experience poor body image as a result of becoming trapped in a web of layered, conflicting and competing expectations of who, what and how they should be, their perceptions of what the social and community expectations are for individual parts of the female anatomy. As they consider their individual parts, many women look at each of these areas, have specific body part images for each one and often develop a mental list of what they want those specific parts to look like and what they hate to have a specific part look like. Women develop negative body image and lack of confidence about their appearance over deep feelings of dissatisfaction with individual parts that run the gamut: hair, neck, face, ears, skin, nose, eyes, lips, chin, teeth, shoulders, back, breasts, waist, hips, stomach, abdomen, buttocks, vulva, arms, wrists, hands, fingers, fingernails, thighs, knees, calves, ankles, feet, toes, body hair, pimples, scars, freckles, stretch marks, cellulite and moles. For some it is just feeling they are overweight in general. Having body issue problems can fill a woman with shame and feelings of worthlessness. It can jeopardize her connection with herself (her authenticity) and the connection she has with the important people in her life. For some, poor body image keeps them from enjoying sex or pushes them into having sex when they don’t really want to because they are desperate for some type of physical validation of worthiness. And as mentioned in my previous post, poor body image is one of the primary reasons that women are less willing to participate in social nudity.

Unfortunately, how a woman views her own body may have little to do with her actual appearance. It is her image of how here body compares to her image of what she “should” look like. In Western culture, women are constantly bombarded by mass media with images of the “perfect body.” Most often this measure of perfection is a young, extremely thin, toned, nubile and large breasted female with perfect hair, teeth and skin. Actually no one could live up to a standard like that because the images are not real. In the photographs air-brushing and make-up are used generously to cover any flaws to arrive at that model of perfection. Sadly, a failure to live up to these unrealistic images causes women to suffer body image dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, eating disorders and can lead to unhealthy lifestyles. Interestingly, I have read interviews with extremely thin women, many unhealthily thin, who stated that when they looked at themselves in a mirror, they saw themselves as being overweight.

As a male I can’t fully comprehend the female perspective on body image or understand what she sees when she looks at her body in a mirror. Men for the most part simply don’t have most of the negative body image issues that women do. At most we might feel a bit self-conscious over things like penis size or male pattern baldness, but few men worry about having extra weight on our hips or stomachs. That is quite understandable however when you consider that we aren’t constantly being shown an impossible “ideal” and then being subtly reminded on a daily basis that if we want to be desirable, successful, happy, etc. we must look that way. Given that, I know it is much more difficult for a woman to overcome all that and be vulnerable enough to remove her clothing in front of other men and women in a social nudity setting. Yet for those women who are able to summon the courage and the resolve to do so, there are many benefits awaiting them.

Without exception, women who have somehow learned to feel at ease while participating in social nudity report that their body image and self-esteem improve dramatically. First, among other nudists they feel the unconditional acceptance and learn quickly that no one expects them to have a “perfect” body. Nudists I think more than any other group in society understand and accept the diversity of the different sizes, shapes and ages of the human body. Secondly, when a woman decides to participate in social nudity she learns that despite the fact she will meet people smaller, larger, younger and older than she, everyone does look pretty much the same when nude. This too helps diffuse many of the negative feelings she might have about her own body and appearance. In a real sense, as one nudist observed, nudism isn’t really about the physical but about the mental.

While one of the biggest obstacles to female participation in social nudity, body image possibly holds the greatest promise for helping a woman learn to feel more accepting of her own body and appearance. We need more women in naturism/nudism because we need the diversity. In all aspects of society, women are a big part of the equation and bring to the table unique opinions, perspectives, views and life experiences that men can’t. I think the more women who are willing to get beyond their body image issues and try social nudity the better the lifestyle will be for all. A few women willing to adopt the pioneer spirit and participate, the more easily women in the future will be able to find the courage to try it and discover how meaningful and enjoyable it can be.

One way a woman might improve her body image and body acceptance is by undergoing a reality check. Develop critical awareness by asking yourself questions like;

• Where do the expectations about my body come from?
• How realistic are my expectations?
• Can I be all these things all of the time?
• Can all of these characteristics exist in one person?
• Do the expectations conflict with each other?
• Am I describing who I want to be or who others want me to be?
• What are my fears?

Honest answers to questions like these I think will go a long way towards helping to dispel the “myth” of the “perfect” body and will help a woman see the futility of trying to live up to such an impossible ideal. We are all different, we are all unique and there is beauty to be celebrated in our diversity. All naked bodies are different but all are beatiful creations, truly works of art and meant to be appreciated not scorned.

Women often ask, “Can I feel comfortable as a nudist even though I don't have a perfect body?” The answer is, absolutely yes! Enjoying social nudity and nude recreation is not about comparing your body to another. Nudism is all about accepting your body and everyone else’s just as nature made them. Let me conclude with an observation of one woman named Lisa, and what social nudity has come to mean for her…

“When I'm at my club with other nudists, I’m in a relaxed community. It’s a very supportive environment. Being nude has become the most normal thing in the world. I sometimes wonder if you’ll pardon this well-worn phrase, what took me so long. The people I’ve met are courteous and friendly, there are no pressures, no daily hassles. At my club it’s easier to relate to people on the basis of who they really are, not by the image their clothes say they are. And I feel a sense of respect for me as an individual. It feels fabulous to be judged by who I am and not by the physical condition of my body or the style clothing I’m wearing. Now, whether Im at a nudist club or at my job, my self-esteem says, ‘Hey, I am a beautiful person!’ My whole being is more relaxed; I’ve never been this confident.”

Nothing to Hide

I imagine for the most part many of those who visit this site have probably come across it through a search engine. Perhaps for some, the thought of living life clothes free has some appeal for you. Maybe you even spent part of your day naked around your own home. However, the thought of spending time naked around others in a social setting is something you can’t even imagine doing.

For a great many people, this is due to poor body image acceptance. According to a poll conducted by Psychology Today magazine, 24 percent of women and 17 percent of men say they would give up more than three years of life to be thinner. Sociologists who study the mostly western-world phenomenon of poor body image attribute the problem to a variety of factors, including media and cultural influences. The advertising industry ties the already complex issue of body image with materialism. A slender body is associated with wealth, health, and attractiveness while a heavier body is associated with sloth, indulgence, and a lack of self-control.

There are some real dangers associated with poor body image acceptance. When someone has a poor body image, they will try to find external validation to feel better about themselves. Poor body image can lead to crash dieting and excessive exercise which in turn can lead to poor nutrition, injuries, depression and eventually poor health. Eating disorders are often the result of having a negative body image.

Psychologists tell us that one of the best means of developing a more positive body image acceptance is to surround oneself with supportive friends whose focus is not on looks. Other people can make the biggest difference in our lives by being mentors and leading by example. Social nudity is one excellent place to find these kinds of friends. One of the key aspects of naturism is a strong emphasis on promoting positive body image. Spending time naked in the presence of others often has very positive benefits with respect to improving a person’s body image and self esteem. It helps one be able to let go of misconceptions or distorted messages and expectations that you have been learned through the media’s portrayal of what people should look like. It helps people to feel less self conscious about their bodies and in turn learn to become more accepting of themselves as well as others for who they are and not what everyone else expects them to be. I know this is true because I have actually experienced it. The first thing you will discover when attending a nudist social gathering is that bodies come in all shapes and sizes. You will find people older than you and people younger, some larger and some smaller. But the amazing thing is you will find most of us look pretty much the same without clothing. Clothing hides the body and makes it easy for us to live under the false illusion that our body just doesn’t measure up to that of others. The human body is beautiful in all its forms, at any age during the life cycle.

Have you ever suffered from poor body image? Are you open minded enough to consider trying social nudity? This year why not resolve to learn to become more comfortable with your nudity? Perhaps you might just become comfortable enough to explore spending time naked with others in a relaxed, non-sexual social environment and in the process learn that you really have nothing to hide.